Expression device for pneumatic playing attachments for musical instruments.



J. H. DICKINSON. EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR. PNEUMATIC PLAYING ATTAOHMBNTS FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 1908.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

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W/ 'INESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HUNTER DICKINSON, OF CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AEOLIAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMIENTS FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application flled November 19, 1908. Serial No. 463,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn HUNTER DICKINSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cranford, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ex ression Devices for Pneumatic Playin Attac ments for Musical Instruments, 0% which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved expression device for pneumatic playing attachments for musical instruments and more particularly to that class of pneumatic attachments in which the playing mechanism is divided into two sections, one for the bass and one for the treble.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved expression device by means of which the player can, at will, by operating the pedals more or less forcibly produce greater air tension in one part of the playing attachment than in the other, so

that one part of the composition, either in the treble or the bass, can be played withv greater force or power, than some or all of the notes of the other part, which attachment is simple in construction, can easily be applied,

is adjustable and is not ex ensive.

In the accompanying diawings: Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view through a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, provided with one embodiment of my new and improved e pression device, the section being on the lin 11 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through parts, others being shown in elevation the section being on the line 22 of ..1 i 1 The pumping bellows l of conventional construction are operated by suitable pedals 2 and connections therefor and these pumping-bellows are connected in the conventional manner with a wind chamber 3 with which an expansible chamber 4 provided with an 45 expansion spring 5 is connected, all of conventional construction. The wind chamber 3 is connected by a duct or tube 6 with a suction chamber 7 from which a duct 8 leadmtd bellows 9, said duct terminating in a slot 1 0' within the bellows which slot can be closed more or less by a ife valve 11, pivoted at 12, to the block 13, in which said slot is formed, the free end of said knife valve 11 being plvotally connected at 14 with tllel movable board. of the bellows 9 so that aethe bellows collapses more or less the knife valve 11 closes the slot 10 correspondingly and vice versa as the bellows 9 expands the slot is opened. A sprin 15 attached to the movable board of'the be lows 9 tends at all times to expand the bellows and this spring is shown as attached to one end of an an lc lever 16 pivoted at 17 to a fixed part of t is instrument in this case the fixed wall of the wind chamber 3.

An adjustable screw 18 is held in a bracket 19 attached to the front movable board of the expansible chamber 4, the inner end of said screw resting against the inner arm of the angle lever 16. That end of the screw facing the front of the instrument, is provided with a slot 20 for ap lying a screw driver or other suitable impl dment, for the purpose of adjusting the screw.

.Two compartments 2] and 22 are connected respectivel with the wind chest 23 and 24 forthe tre )leand the bass of the instrumcnt, it being understood that the mechanism is divided into a treble section and a bass section. Each compartment 21 and 22 is provided with a ort 25 which can be closed by an upward y seatin valve 26 located in a compartment 27 beneath each compartment 21 and 22 respectively. In the construction shown, the valves 26 are operated pneumatically by the bellows 29, the interior of which is connected by a duct 30 with a tube 31 through which in any well known manner air can be admitted to the bellows 29 for the pur ose of expanding the bellows and causing t is valve operated by the bellows to close the corresponding port '25. The compartments 2] and 22 are not connected directly with the suction chamber 7 but the compartments 27 are each connected by a duct 32 with the chamber 7. Between the two compartments 21 and 22, a space 33 is formed, which communicates by t e lateral ports 34 with the compartments 21 and 22, said ports being closed by flap valves 35 opening into the space 33 as shown in Fig. 2. A port 36, as shown in Fig. 2, connects the s ace 33 directly with the bellows 9'.

I have s own pneumatic means in the present construction for operating the valves 26 but do not wish to confine myself to pneumatic means, as any well known means can be used for operating said valves without in -any way ailecting the spirit of my present invention, which does not relate to, the construction or operation per se of these valves and which can be controlled by the operator manually, one independently of the other, or in some construction of playing attachments, operated automatically by means of side perforations in the music sheet, as practiced in existing instruments. Each valve 26 is thus an air controlling valve independent of the regulating valve 11.

The operation is as follows: When the edals are operated and the umping bel ows exhaust air from the charm ers 3 and 7 and the orts 25 of the compartments 21 and 22 are oth opened, the air is drawn directly from the treble and bass wind chests 23 and 24 through the compartments 21 and 22, and ports 25 and 32 into the chamber 7 and from the latte: through the tube 6 and chamber 3 into the pumping bellows. If the port 25 of either chamber 21 or 22 is closed by means of the valve 26, the air from such chamber can no lon er pass directly from such chamber 21 or 22 t ough the port 25 into the chamber 7 but must pass through the corresponding port 34 and port 36 into the regulating bellows 9 from which it can only be exhausted throu h the slot and as there is now suction in t e regulating bellows, this bellows is collapsed by this suction more or less, a ainst the tension of the spring and the v vs 11 reduces the effective area of the slot 10 and the player neumatics in the corresponding wind chest 23 or 24 will be operated with less power. Of course, it is well understood that such reduced power may exist for a greater length of time according to the will of the operator, or the arrangement of the controllin apertures in the music sheet. Ass on as t e port 25 that has been closed opened again, the communication from the corresponding chest 23 or 24 to the exhausting mechanism is direct and the regulator bellows 9 has not any efi'ect on the player mechanism of the correspondin chest 23 or 24 for the time being. Althoug i this operation as far as I have described. it is old and well known, I have deemed it necessary to describe it here forthe perfect understanding of my invention. It will also be understood that the suction of that wind chest 23 or 24 directly connected with the pumpin bellows is greater than that suction in t 1e wind chest connected with the suction bellows through the regulating bellows 9 and hence will keep the C013 responding flap valve 35 closed.

If the spring 15 is not made adjustable and the air exhausted is compelled to pass through the slot 10 it follows that the regulating bellows 9 w'l be collapsed in accord ance with the suction, that is to say, that if the pumping bellows are worked more forcibly the tension is increased, the regulating bellows collapsed to a greater degree and as the pumping hollows are worked less l'orc-ihly and the tension decreased the bellows i! will "be expanded by the spring 15 and the effortivc area of the slot 10 is increased, but there is no possibility of producing an intern'iediato tension. When the tension is increased by operating the pumping bellows with greater force the expansib e chamber 4 is collapsed to a greater extent and as this expansiblc chamber is collapsed the screw 18 acting on the angle lever 16 increases the tension of the spring 15 thus preventing the suction in the regulating bellows 9 from closing the slot 1() by means of the valve, 11 to as reat an extent as the same suction would c ose it if the tension of the s ring had not been increased. The player is tlius enabled, at any time, to play softer than normal loud, by causin the air to travel through the regulatin bel ows 9, but he can also vary this degree 0 softness by operating his pedals'with more pr less force and is thus enabled to make most minute radations in the playing'and to roduce e ects which more closely simu ate manual playing than has been pos, 'ble heretofore. He can, for example, keep he valve 26 for the bass notes playing the accompaniment, permanently closed and either manually or automatically can keep the valve 26, for the treble, laying the melody, closed, only opening t e same so as to play the theme notes with full pumping bellows power by permitting the air to ass for such notes directly to the suction be lows without comelling them to. pass through the regulating 10o bellows 9. At the same time he is enabled to play the accompaniment produced by the laying mechanisms in the other section, ouder or with varying loudness, while still playing it piano, and is enabled to lay it louder than it could be played with t e corresponding valve 26 closed and the tension of the spring not varied.

Having described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination with a wind chest, a pumping device and an expansible chamber in communication there- 1 15 with, of a re ulating pneumatic under spring ,tension regu ating valve controlled thereby, an independent air controlling valve and means for varying the effective power of the regulating )ncumatic automaticall from said expansi le chamber, substantial y as set forth.

2. In a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination with a wind chest, a pumping device and an expansible chamber in communication therewith, of a regulating neumatic under spring tension, an air regu ating valve controlled thereb ,an independent air controlling valve an means for varying the power of the spring of there ulating neumatic controller] by said pneumatic, an .indeautomatlcal y from sai expansl le champendent air controlling valve, a lever ('onher, substantially as set forth. nectvd with said spring and means for 3. In a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination.

with a wind chest, a pumping device and an expansible chamber in communication therewith, of a pneumatic, on the said valve contro ed by said pneumatic, an independent air controlling valve, and means for varyingthe power of said spring and devices for actuating said means from the ex ansible chamber, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combination. with a Wind chest, a pumping device and an expansible chamber in communication therewith, of a pneumatic, a spring acting on said pneumatic, an air regulating valve a spring acting neumatic, an air regulating moving said lever from the expansible chamber, substantially as set forth.

1 5. In a pneumatic playing attachment for musical instruments, the combinat on with a Wind chest, a pumping device and an expansible chamber in communication therewith, of a pneumatic, a s ring acting on said pneumatic, an air regu ating valve controlledby said pneumatic, an inde pendent air; controlling valve, a lever connected. with said spring and an adjustable device on the ex Jansible chamber for moving said lever, su istantially as set forth.

JOSEPH HUNTER DICKINSON.

Witnesses:

F. H. HUGHES, A. A. SCOTT. 

